


Sun Kissed

by restlesswriting



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Swearing, beach volleyball au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 13:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2152938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/restlesswriting/pseuds/restlesswriting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Yeah, yeah. This better not be some grade schooler’s match you’re dragging me to though,” Kageyama complains, dusting sand off his clothes. Another reason why he hates the beach: the sand, it gets everywhere. And why was he helping a stranger out again? The heat must be killing off his brain cells and affecting his reasoning abilities. He turns back to look at the orange haired boy who, for some reason, looks completely miffed. “What? I thought you needed help, isn’t the match starting soon?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sun Kissed

Kageyama doesn’t know why he agreed to this – being dragged along to the beach in the middle of the summer was the prime example of cliché. There were too many people, too many tourists, just… too overcrowded with people. Not the ideal way to spend his holiday. So what if he could practice volleyball at the beach? Who cares if beach volleyball might give him the chance to improve his skills? Given this sweltering heat, the clusterfuck of people, he’d rather return home where he could sit in his own room, comb through levels in his video games, drink cold milk by the cartonful and play volleyball in his own backyard, preferably without an audience.

Despite protests, and a rather valid argument with his parents (which involved a few slammed doors), he found himself being stuffed into their already filled family car, getting dragged to the beach regardless of his wishes. It didn’t even occur to his parents to leave him behind while they go on ahead for their tiny getaway. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, you know? He doesn’t need a babysitter and he sure as hell doesn’t need them to keep dragging him around like extra baggage. And of course, to make things worse, the towels and bottles have to keep falling on him every single time the car stops at a red light. Why do parents even insist on cramming every inch of free space in the vehicle with things that they don’t need? Kageyama was sure they’d try to fit the entire house into it if given an opportunity.

By the time they pull over, Kageyama had already stopped trying to field the raining towels and bottles. The sheer amount of red lights they’d hit along the way, karma or fate or whatever it is really has it out for him. Well, at least he gets to stand and stretch after being in that cramped space for what seemed like hours. The sunlight feels good on his skin. For the moment anyways but if it gets any hotter than this... Turning back, Kageyama offers to help unpack but his parents shoo him away, telling him to go to the beach and enjoy summer. Shrugging, he acquiesces and grabs his volleyball things, his beach towel and some sunblock (believe it or not, he tans quite easily and getting sunburnt is not on his to-do list).

“Make some friends!” His mum calls after him and Kageyama scowls. He should’ve known, should’ve seen it coming from a mile away – parents always have a hidden agenda and this trip to the beach is exactly the same. Don’t they understand it was perfectly normal to spend your summer holidays alone? He likes not having people around. In fact, being alone was perfectly fine with him. No stupid opinions, no awkward hovering, no uncomfortable small talk. It was all good, no wait, great. Being alone was great; it meant that imbeciles weren’t surrounding him. Summer time was alone time and he needed it, craved it, and his parents had just destroyed it. Just because it was his parents’ wish doesn’t make it his, he has no plans to comply. They can just deal with their disappointment.

Kageyama finds a spot of sand far away from the crowd of people and claims it as his own, laying down his towel and setting his volleyball carefully beside it. Beach volleyball can wait, right now, he just wants to lie and stare blankly at the horizon. He really should put on some sunblock but he can’t be bothered to pull himself back up just to take 10 minutes to apply the damned thing. Oh well, he suspects he still has some time before he starts burning to a crisp.

“It’s so fucking hot,” Kageyama mutters.

“It’s in the middle of the summer stupid, it’s supposed to be hot.” He jumps in surprise, completely caught off guard and, if he was being slightly honest, mildly annoyed because it’s not even five minutes into this whole charade and his space was already being invaded. Kageyama turns around only to be met with what he would label as the human incarnate of the sun – bright, cheery, smile slapped onto face, a giant ball of energy wrapped in a slightly small body with a shock of orange hair. Kageyama curses his luck. Of all the people in the world, it had to be an enthusiastic, bubbly kid who finds him; he’s definitely not getting any rest in now.

“Hey, hey. You play volleyball right? I see you brought your things with you!” The small boy questions, bouncing on his feet in barely contained excitement. He doesn’t await Kageyama’s reply before plowing on. “Play with us! We need a substitute since Sugawara sprained his ankle recently. Oh! You’ll be playing setter though, the other positions are all filled.”

Kageyama groans, decline on the tip of his tongue when the shorty’s hands shoot out to start tugging on his shirt. This was why he hates mingling – the expectations, the obstinate persistence – he doesn’t even know the kid’s goddamn name! They’d just met and he was already dragging him to a match he doesn’t even want any part in.

“Hurry up, the match is about to start,” the smaller boy whines.

“Yeah, yeah. This better not be some grade schooler’s match you’re dragging me to though,” Kageyama complains, dusting sand off his clothes. Another reason why he hates the beach: the sand, it gets everywhere. And why was he helping a stranger out again? The heat must be killing off his brain cells and affecting his reasoning abilities. He turns back to look at the orange haired boy who, for some reason, looks completely miffed. “What? I thought you needed help, isn’t the match starting soon?”

“The match is starting soon! And I’m in high school, for your information.”

“Ok…” Kageyama doesn’t understand where this is going. For the past 15 years of his life, he’d tried to comprehend people’s thought processes but it has gotten him nowhere and this was the absolute proof. Why is the brat just standing there when he was the one who asked for help? Isn’t the match important? And what has high school got to do with anything? Is it because he made the brief conclusion that the shorty was in grade school?

“Apologize!” The smaller boy squeaks, forehead creasing in mild irritation.

“For what? You’re the one who approached me first and I’m doing you a service.” Kageyama is very confused by the turn of events. Here he was, offering help to a stranger for the first time and now, he’s getting berated? He doesn’t remember doing anything wrong to incur the shorty’s wrath. Unless it was the height thing, but honestly, any sane person would’ve made that conclusion.

“Whatever. Forget it, you don’t look like you have a clue what you did wrong,” the stranger’s eyes narrow. “We have to move though, match starts in five.”

As soon as the word five leaves his mouth, the kid dashes off, leaving Kageyama behind to choke on the sand he’d kicked up. Kageyama sighs, bends down to gather his things and follows after the bobbing vivid mop of hair.

_Oh look mum, I’m actually trying to connect with people, it’s just that people operate on a completely different wavelength._

* * *

“You... that is the fifth miss. I thought you were good!” Kageyama bellows. He’s starting to regret his decision. He’ll never help people again. Especially strangers. Or better yet, strangers with shockingly wild orange hair.

“Stop calling me that, my name is Hinata Shouyou! And you should be making use of the time to find a way to connect, not using it to fling insults at me.” Kageyama snaps and, instead of throwing insults his way, decides to fling his towel at the boy. The middle blocker shoots him a glare, face partially obscured by Kageyama’s towel. His attempt to help people is starting to come apart. What was he thinking? Oh right, he wasn’t because he had readily accepted. Summer is off to a brilliant start.

“There, there,” a boy with grey hair and ankle brace intervenes, trying to calm them down. Kageyama assumes he’s Sugawara, the original setter on the team. He snorts; he wouldn’t be in this mess if the team’s setter had been more careful and if his mouth had been able to keep up with his brain. “It’s the first time that Kageyama’s playing with us. Hinata’s jump and speed are his greatest assets, Kageyama… try using it to your advantage. You just have to find a way, I’m sure you can, given your abilities.”

“What abilities? He has none!” Hinata exclaims and Sugawara shushes him, eyeing Kageyama warily.

Kageyama freezes. There was no way someone from outside his prefecture would have heard of him right? The grey haired boy knows something, he’s sure. It’s written all over his face but there’s no contempt or anger there, only a gentle smile. Whatever. Now wasn’t the time for petty arguments anyway, they had a match to dominate and win. Kageyama ducks, raven bangs falling over his eyes to block everyone out. He exhales, slowly. He forces the raucous cheering from the crowd, the pants from the players to fade into the background. Nothing else matters but the win, the ball and the pawns needed to make it happen.

When he reopens his eyes, it’s Hinata’s turn to freeze in shock. The perpetual scowl on Kageyama’s face had been replaced with look of utmost concentration; the intensity of it was almost unnerving.

“Oi, what is wrong with you?” Hinata waves a hand in front of Kageyama, flinching in shock when the setter’s right hand lashes out and latches on, pulling him away from the other team members.

“At your fastest speed, perform your highest jump and I will get the ball to you. You don’t need to see my toss. You don’t need to connect with the ball.”

“What?! I have to see the ball or I’ll just be swinging at empty air!” Hinata objects.

“But… I want to give it a try.”

“I got it.” The middle blocker caves.

The whistle is blown, signaling the end of the timeout. Both teams rush back to the net and the heated game resumes, points continuing to seesaw, back and forth, with no clear winner and no clear breaks. Hinata’s eyes are boring into him and Kageyama _knows_. He makes a split second calculation, calibrates the toss, hears the slap of skin and the ball is falling, landing with a dull thump on the opposite side of the net. There’s a beat of silence before the bewildered crowd roars their approval.

Kageyama overhears their captain. “That short middle blocker had his eyes closed.” Their opponents look slightly rattled now and he smiles, turning back to look at his temporary teammates, who for some reason, look shaken too (with the exception of that damned loudmouth, he’s yelling and celebrating).

“What?” He asks. It’s not like he did anything new, it was just a toss, nothing more. The team shakes their heads and the captain, Daichi, pats his back and the match continues. The faces and the cheering blurs as he loses himself in the game, making toss after toss after toss, watching the point gap widen. It’s amazing how quickly the other team seemed to lose steam after the appearance of their new quick.

The game concludes in a mere 45 minutes and he bags the win.

* * *

Sweat clings to his clothes, dripping down his body in rivulets. His raven locks were plastered to his head but he has never felt more alive, body thrumming with energy, ready to keep on going, going but today’s matches have already concluded. It’s nearing night time, the sun is setting, painting the once clear azure sky purple and orange, the surrounding air slowly cooling down as people clear out for today. He sighs, breathing in the salty sea air as it nips and stings his skin. In his excitement, applying sunblock had completely slipped his mind. So much for not trying to get sun burned (or, as his mum would put it, sun-kissed but it's not, really, his skin is tinged pink and it hurts) in summer.

“You were amazing!” He grimaces in pain as a hand lands on his shoulder. Tomorrow is going to be a bitch; he’d be wincing all the way through. After that the godforsaken peeling would start, making it look as if he were molting.

“You stupid short stack. My skin hurts so watch it,” Kageyama glares down at Hinata.

“Says the person who forgot to apply lotion.” Hinata replies, neatly dodging Kageyama’s hand, dashing off and putting a distance between them. “I’ll see you tomorrow! We still have matches to win!”

“Who says I’m helping you again?” Kageyama calls out and Hinata chuckles, the sound getting carried over by the wind. For such an obnoxious loudmouth, the laugh was astoundingly gentle, like a sun rising from the horizon; grey sky giving way to the first few rays of brilliance, and Kageyama decides that he likes it.

The wind whips his hair back and the water laps at his feet as he walks along the shoreline, alone for the first time after Hinata had so rudely barreled into his life. Oddly, it was the freest he’d felt in a long while.

**Author's Note:**

> Kageyama and Hinata/the team have never met before. On that note, I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
